Making Soy Candles

More and more people are making soy candles as they become aware of its advantages. Soy candle wax was developed in the early 1990’s by researchers looking for a natural alternative to paraffin wax that was less expensive than beeswax. Soy wax has done a pretty good job of meeting that goal.

Soy burns more cleanly than paraffin, which is another reason people prefer it.

I think you’ll find soy wax easy to work with and I encourage you to try making some soy candles to see for yourself.

One drawback with soy is that pure soy wax is rather soft at room temperature so it doesn’t work well for making pillars or tapers. You can use a soy wax blend to make these types of candles, but I suggest that for your first project you make a container candle. Soy wax is excellent for this purpose and very easy to work with.

Materials for Making Soy Candles

Making a soy wax container candle is a great project for a beginner. You need minimal equipment and it’s hard to go too far wrong. Here’s what you’ll need:

• A non-flammable container for the candle. Most people use glass. I prefer heat resistant glass because I think it’s safer. Mason (canning) jars are readily available and work well for this purpose.
• Soy candle wax. It usually comes in flake form, but you may see some solid bars. I recommend you try the flakes first.
• A wick, a metal tab or piece of tape to hold it to the bottom of the container and a pencil or something similar to tie it to to hold it straight while the wax dries.
• Thermometer. You could make a candle without a therometer, but it is helpful. You can use a candy thermoter if you don’t have one you use just for candle making.
• Scent and coloring if desired.
• Container for melting the wax. You can use a double boiler like you would for paraffin, but another advantage of soy wax is that you can melt it in a microwave. If you do it this way, use a Pyrex measuring cup.
• Hotpads.

Soy Candle Making Instructions

To begin, clean your container well. If  you’re not certain how big it is, an easy way to determine how much wax you will need is to fill it with water to the level you want and then pour the water into the Pyrex measuring cup.

Fix the wick to the bottom of the container with masking tape. Tie the other end to a pencil placed across the opening.

I’ll assume you’re going to melt the wax in the microwave for your first container. Dry a Pyrex measuring cup well (if there's water in the wax it may cause the wax to "pop" and splatter as it melts). Next, fill the measuring cup with the desired amount of wax. If you’re going to add coloring and/or fragrance, use a little less wax than it will take to fill the container to leave room for the additives.

Put the wax in the microwave for 2 minutes, then check it. It will typically take 5 minutes or so to melt a pound of wax.

As the wax starts to melt, stir it gently to even out the melting process. Be gentle or you’ll stir air bubbles into the wax.

If you use a thermometer, heat the wax to about 140 -150° on. Try to keep it below 150. Stir in coloring next. When you have the tint you like, add the fragrance last. Keep the fragrance to less than one ounce of oil per pound of wax.

By the way, if you like strongly scented candles you may want to purchase more expensive scents. Some less expensive scents are essential oils that have been diluted with plain oil. This lowers the price, but since you still shouldn’t add more than an ounce of oil per pound of wax you won’t have as much fragrance in you candle with the diluted oil.

Let the wax cool slightly (to between 100 and 200° if using a thermometer), then carefully pour it into the container. Some people recommend that you pre-warm the container to lessen the likelihood that it might crack.  I haven’t had a problem if I pour the wax in slowly. This avoids a sudden temperature change that might crack the glass. It also probably helps that I favor heat resistant containers.

Finally, adjust the wick so it’s centered in the container.

Now all you have to do is wait for the wax to harden. Don’t try to speed this process by putting the container in a water bath or the refrigerator – that’s likely to cause cracks to form in the wax.

Learn to make beautiful candles at home. Check out:

Home Candle Making Made Easy